Remotely controlled ratchet wrench



Nov. 26, 1957 F. L. ALLARD 2,814,224

r REMOTELY CONTROLLED RATCHET WRENCH Filed Nov. 19. 1954 IN VEN TOR.

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United States Patent REMOTELY CONTROLLED RATCHET WRENCH Frank L. Allard,Sioux Falls, S. Dak.

Application November 19, 1954, Serial No. 470,087

2 Claims. (Cl. 81-54) My invention relates to a remotely controlledratchet wrench.

An object of my invention is to provide a wrench which will enable theoperator to attach a nut or a bolt where such nut or bolt is normallyinaccessible, and with means also for tightening the bolt securely, orremoving the same.

A further object of my invention is to provide the above results in asimple construction.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of mydevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the tool with a portion thereof being takenin section,

Figure 2 is a sectional view of Figure 1 taken along the lines 22thereof, and

Figure 3 is an end view of the casing and turning handles.

My invention contemplates the provision of a wrench which can be usedfor securing remotely positioned bolts or nuts.

I have used the character to designate a spirally wound steel flexibleconduit which can be bent to a variety of configurations, and receivedwithin the conduit 10 is a lengthened flexible cable 11, this flexiblecable being of the usual closely wound wire type, and which is adaptedto carry the necessary torque, the cable 11 being attached by means of asuitable pin 12 to a square member 13 which is received within thesocket portion 14, which socket portion 14 is attached to a socket head15, which member 15 is preferably hexagon-shaped and is adapted toreceive the nut 16 which is to be tightened, it being assumed that thenut 16 is in a more or less inaccessible location and which can not betightened by means of the usual flat wrench or socket wrench. The pin 12will allow the attachment of a variety of sizes of the socket 15, andattached to the conduit 10 is the knurled stationary ferrule 17. Theconduit 10 and cable 11 can be of any desired length, and the conduit 10terminates in a further collar or ferrule 18. Rotatably receiving thecollar 18 at 19 is the casing 20 which can thus be rotated freely aboutthe collar 18, the casing 20 including the end wall 21 and annular wall22, the ferrule 18 merging with the integral collar 23 to serve toretain the casing against displacement from the ferrule 18.

The flexible cable 11 is firmly secured at 24 to a ratchet member 25having the spaced teeth 26, and secured to the wall 21 is a short pin orshaft 27, and mounted on the shaft 27 is a pawl member 28 having thepointed ends 29 and 30, this pawl member being resiliently attached bymeans of the spring 31 to the pin 27, the pin 27 being further attachedto the outer circular member 32 having the finger grasping portion 33,and also having the extending arm 34 which terminates in the inwardlyextending prong 35 which is adapted to be received within either opening36 or 37 in the casing Wall 21.

Firmly secured at 38 within the wall 22 of the casing 20 are a pair ofoutwardly extending round bars 39.

The tool is used in the following manner. Normally, the area around theinaccessible nut has suflicient space to insert the fingers of the hand,and the socket 15 is placed over the nut 16 as shown, with the fingersof one hand holding the ferrule 17. Next, the other hand grasps the bars39 and the bars and casing 20 are rotated in the direction of the arrow41 (see Figure 2) the pawl point 30 being set for tightening the nut,whereby the point 30 will successively engage successive teeth 26, andafter each slight reverse motion, the pawl will contact another tootheach time, without in any way rotating the cable 10, and as a result,the flexible cable 11 will cause the socket 15 to rotate until the nut16 is firmly seated, the bars 39 providing suflicient leverage to theratchet-engaging portions for this purpose.

As a result, the nut is firmly secured, and as explained above, varioussizes of sockets can be employed with the same tool.

For the tightening operation as shown in Figure 3, the prong 35 is setin the opening 36, with the pawl being in the solid position shown inFigure 2.

If it is desired to remove the nut, the pawl is swung to the dottedposition shown in Figure 2 by rotating the member 33 and arm 34 in thedirection of the arrow 40, in which the pawl will occupy the dottedposition shown in Figure 2, and wherein by reverse movement in thedirection of the arrow 42, the pawl will engage the teeth in the reversemanner and the nut will be loosened. Therefore, by virtue of thisconstruction, the tool can tighten or loosen a nut in relativelyinaccessible locations.

It will now be seen that I have provided the advantages mentioned in theobjects of my invention, with various other advantages being readilyapparent.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of theparts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purposeof my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims anymodified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which maybe reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. A remotely controlled ratchet wrench comprising a flexible conduit, aflexible cable in said conduit, a nut-engaging member attached to oneend of said flexible cable, means for rotating the other end of saidflexible cable to tighten said nut comprising a ratchet member, a casingenclosing said ratchet member, handles secured to said casing, a pawl insaid casing for engaging said ratchet member, means for reversing saidpawl, whereby the rotation of said cable can be reversed.

2. A remotely controlled ratchet wrench comprising a flexible conduit, aflexible cable in said conduit, a nutengaging member attached to one endof said flexible cable, means for rotating the other end of saidflexible cable to tighten said nut comprising a ratchet member, a casingenclosing said ratchet member, handles secured to said casing, a pawl insaid casing for engaging said ratchet member, means for reversing saidpawl, whereby the rotation to said cable can be reversed, said ratchetmember including a plurality of circumferentially spaced teeth forengaging said pawl, said pawl including a short shaft upon which saidpawl operates, said shaft extending through said casing, said shaftbeing pivoted in said casing, a manually operable arm member attached tosaid shaft outside of said casing, means for selectively positioningsaid arm to provide rotation of said ratchet member in either direction.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Able et a1. May 26, 1953 Pendlcton .Sept.21, 1920 Burch July 21, 1925 Clark Aug. 29, 1950 Fish -2 Dec. 18, 1951Duerksen Nov. 10, 1953 Tackett May 18, 1954 Marion Mar. 1, 1955

